Kathmandu

Rato Machhindranath is worshipped as the God of Rain. The deity is believed to have been brought to Kathmandu from Kamaru Kamakhya, India. And the chariot of this deity is pulled with much interest and enthusiasm during the chariot festival that is participated by large numbers of youngsters.

The chariot is a special one. It is a tower-like structure with a balcony, and has four huge colourful wheels. It is attractive and unique. There is a small room in the balcony, and the red statue (in the shape of a human) with beautiful artwork is put in the middle of that room. Skilful artists join hands to make the idol and the chariot. Having learned the skills from their ancestors these artisans, despite working in different fields (other than art), manage time to make the longest-running chariot festival a grand success.

This year the chariot festival started on April 30 and the Bhoto Jatra is scheduled to take place on May 25 if everything goes well, as per the Baikuntha Acharya, Chief of Guthi Sansthan Branch Office Patan.

Ropes as serpents

The main attraction of the chariot festival is the pulling of the chariot itself. And eight long ropes are used to pull the chariot of Machhindranath. And there is a myth behind these ropes too. These ropes are associated with eight serpents — Basuki Naag (believed to be on the right side of Machhindranath’s idol), Ananta Naag (on the left side of Machhindranath’s idol) along with Sumurti Naag, Debasu Naag, Nanda Naag, Padam Naag, Chhatra Naag and Ista Naag (all around the chariot), and spirits of these serpents are believed to enter the ropes as per Dangol. The chariot is also believed to be protected by Hindu god Bhairav. The Bhairav placed in front of the right wheel is called Harisiddhi, at the back of the right wheel is Luptasamhar Lubhu Bhairav, in front of the left wheel is Tyanka (Tika) Bhairav, and at the back of the left wheel is Kundi Bhairav.